In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!
At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Casey Dembowsk and her novel WHEN WE'RE THIRTY, and we have been interested in it ever since! We are so excited to have Casey on the blog today to answer some of our questions!
The first story I remember writing was in the second grade. My elementary school would bind our stories for us and we would illustrate them. Looking back, this was such a rare opportunity, and I still have those books packed away somewhere. From then on, I always wrote, though things kicked into high gear in seventh grade and never really slowed down. I earned my MFA in Fiction from Adelphi University. I’m a working writer and mom. By day I work in corporate marketing communications and at night I spend quality time with my husband and daughter.
The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Casey: Amazing! It's actually super surreal. As a writer, you work so long to see a book into the world, and then one day it's just out there, and this book baby you've nurtured for so long doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to the readers now.
The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?
Casey: For me, the best part of the writing process is most likely that first draft. After I get about 10K in, I know these characters, and it's so much fun to see what they do and what decisions they make. And honestly, sometimes I don't agree with them! For this reason, I actually really like writing what some call the "sagging middle" because when I get there I'm able to write the characters so naturally. I don't need to wonder what they'll say or do; I just know. I think the hardest part for me is letting the characters go. It takes me on average a year to write a first draft. That's a year with these characters and in this world, and then when you finish your revisions, you just have to let them go and move on.
The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for WHEN WE'RE THIRTY?
Casey: I was looking to write a high concept novel with a lot of voice and romance. As I was going through tropes and different ideas, I just had one that was like what if two people followed through on this pact they made on drunken night in college to get married when they were thirty. And what happens if they do it in five days after losing touch for a few years. And what happens if they are secretly in love with each other. And the answers to all those questions is my book.
The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?
Casey: This is such a hard question because I really loved all of them for different reasons. But I think I had the most fun writing Kate. The scenes with her were always so much fun. The most difficult to write was Madison. Without giving away any spoilers, I had a fine line to walk every time I had her on the page -- which is often enough.
The Book Bratz: What surprised you the most about the publishing process?
Casey: My timeline from signing my contract with Red Adept Publishing to When We're Thirty's release was short in publishing time at only eight month. But the most surprising part for me throughout my journey was just how long everything in publishing takes. It takes months to hear back from a query and more months to hear back on a request for a manuscript, and the same thing on submission when you are trying to sell your book. And then when you sell your book, you are most likely not seeing it out in the world for 18 months to two years. Everything in publishing is just longer, and there's a lot of hurry up and wait that goes into getting published.
The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from WHEN WE'RE THIRTY?
Casey: When We're Thirty is a fun story on the light side, but it also has a lot of heart to it. I hope people fall in love with Will and Hannah, and really get ensconced in their world and can escape reality for a bit. I also hope they walk away from When We're Thirty with a cheesy grin and a hankering to call their best friend.
The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of WHEN WE'RE THIRTY in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?
Casey: All of my novels are connected through the fake band Wilderness Weekend and the magazine where Hannah works, Deafening Silence, which were both introduced in When We're Thirty. So my second novel is a standalone, but you'll still hear mention of that band, and there's usually a Deafening Silence issue sitting on someone's coffee table. It's just a subtle nod that all these people exist in the same world and timeline. But in terms of directly returning to the When We're Thirty world, possibly. I'm working on an enemies-to-lovers novel at the moment that involves one of the characters from the book and helps to expand the When We're Thirty universe beyond New York.
Title: When We're Thirty
Author: Casey Dembowski
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Published April 2021
Summary: Hannah Abbott is stuck in a dead-end relationship and at a job she loves but that barely pays the bills. The four walls of her tiny New York City apartment have never seemed so small. She’s barely toasted her thirtieth birthday when her old college friend Will knocks on her door with an unexpected proposal. Will Thorne never forgot the marriage pact he made with Hannah, but he also never imagined he’d be the one to initiate it. One ex-fiancée and an almost-career-ending mistake later, however, he finds himself outside Hannah’s door, on bended knee, to collect on their graduation-night pinky promise. With both of their futures at stake, Hannah and Will take a leap of faith. Now, all they have to do is convince their friends and family that they’re madly in love. As long as they follow the list of rules they’ve drafted, everything should go smoothly. Except Will has never been good with rules, and Hannah can’t stop overthinking the sleeping arrangements. Turning thirty has never been so promising
Thank you so much to Casey for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about WHEN WE'RE THIRTY, and it's out now for you to enjoy!
Also, if you're looking to snag a copy, we're hosting a giveaway on our Twitter from now until June 20th!
No comments
Please note that if your comment doesn’t appear right away, it’s because we have to approve it. Make sure to click the Notify Me box so you can check back once your comment has been approved! ❤️